Cocoa company trains 1800 farmers in Madang

 By EHEYUC SESERU
A COCOA beans buyer and exporting company has trained more than 1800 farmers in four areas of Madang for certification.
Madang-based cocoa buyer and exporter Outspan PNG Limited had trained the farmers since June, 2014 on sustainable cocoa production and environmental waste management.
Operations manager Basavaraj M Raj said the company had trained  700 cocoa farmers and fermentation owners in 2014, and 1100 last year.
“The farmers and fermentation shed owners from Usino, Mawan, Transgogol and Marik were trained and then their cocoa site inspected by cocoa auditors for certification under Rainforest Alliance, so they can be paid premium,” he said.
The first rate payment are for farmers who produce cocoa in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Raj said environmental sustainable practices were not to do laundry in river headwaters, dispose inorganic rubbish properly, and to do pruning of cocoa trees.
He said each area has 500 farmers each and the company has trained 2000 farmers in Madang.
Raj said there were 200 cocoa fermentation owners currently under certification.
“The auditors inspect farmers and their cocoa trees, including the fermentation area.” Deputy Productive Partnership Agriculture Project (PPAP) manager Mathias Faure said the programme was an initiative of World Bank and was implemented by PNG Cocoa Board in the Momase region with eight other agricultural programmes.